Partnerships between chefs & farmers are ripe with possibilities

Photograph by Charter Weeks

Fields of corn rustle in the summer breeze, the golden ears growing plump and ripe under the warm sun. Nearby, rows of lettuce, beans, and other produce flourish in the rich soil. The cluck of chickens can be heard as they scurry about their yard, pecking up grain, while in their coop, clutches of hearty brown eggs fill their nests.

This bucolic scene was once common throughout New England, but in the 1970’s, acre after acre of farmland began to disappear, sold for development to strip malls and subdivisions. New England farmers faced overwhelming odds as they tried to compete with the agribusinesses of the Midwest, while handicapped by our region’s short growing season. With developers dangling big dollars, many farmers sold their land, and a vital part of New England’s heritage began to be lost.

It takes years of careful cultivation to turn plain old dirt into rich soil, capable of producing bountiful crops. The same care is applied to orchards, as trees are meticulously pruned and managed. When a farm disappears, top soil is typically stripped and sold, orchards are cut or go wild, and important land goes out of production. Not only are current generations affected, but future ones as well.

For years, much of our food has come from the Midwest, Mexico, South America and China. Each step of its journey has transformed it from a food into more of a technological marvel. Vegetables and meats undergo numerous chemical and biological processes to allow for long-distance travel, extend shelf-life, and improved appearance. The vaguely pink force-ripened supermarket tomato, with no heady garden smell, has become the symbol of our over-processed age. 

Buying Local, Cooking Better
Today, the tide is turning. Across the country, Americans are waking up to the value of fresh, local food. From 1994 to 2006, the number of farmers’ markets nationwide more than doubled— from 1,755 to 4,385—and that number is growing, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In New Hampshire alone, the number of farmers’ markets has gone from only a dozen in the 1990’s, to 60, according to the State Division of Agricultural Development. The New Hampshire Business Review reported (June 7, 2007) that the state’s farms are enjoying excellent growth, and pumped more than $2.3 billion in sales into the state’s economy.

Today’s farms are different than the farms of yesteryear. Many of them grow for niche markets, specializing in certain types of crops, rather than a broad spectrum of vegetables and livestock. A vital outlet is the restaurant market, which has played an integral role in farming’s resurgence.
Chefs have long valued the quality of fresh food. As local chefs rediscovered the region’s farms and forged ongoing relationships, the farmers have reaped the benefit of year-round sales.

“I did organic gardening way back, so eating natural, organic foods has always been my preference,” says Lindsay Altshul, owner of the Pepperland Cafe in South Berwick, Maine. “Working with local farms allows me to get good food to my customers. We use only farm fresh meats and eggs—fresh eggs make a huge difference in your cooking—plus goat cheese and vegetables. We order regularly from Heartsong Farms, the Farmer’s Shed, Breezy Hill, and Kellie Brook Farm, just to name a few. It can be a balancing act, as farmers can’t always have what you want when you want it, but we understand the issues involved in growing, and we work with them. Any adjustment is more than compensated for by the freshness of the produce and knowing how the animals were raised.”

Patrick Soucy, executive chef at The Green Monkey in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, grows a lot of his own blueberries and blackberries, so he won’t settle for anything less than locally grown when it comes to other foodstuffs. “My sous chef, Ian Thomas, hits the Portsmouth Farmers’ Market first thing every Saturday and brings home incredible items,” he says. “It’s fantastic that Portsmouth has a market of this quality so close to all the downtown restaurants. I also partner with a number of local farms. It’s a blessing to work with them, as farmers and chefs both care passionately about food. I have enormous respect for their work ethic.”

Soucy picks apples, peaches and other fruit at Applecrest Farm in Hampton Falls; gets his beef, chicken, turkey and corn from Tendercrop Farm in West Newbury, Massachusetts, and a range of products from Arrowhead Farm in Newburyport, Massachusetts, which has been owned by the same family since 1683.

“I think the relationship between restaurants and farmers is only going to get stronger,” he states. “I don’t think it’s a trend; I think it’s more of a move back to basics, to how things were supposed to be.”

Jeff Paige, chef/owner of Cotton in Manchester, New Hampshire, was among the first chefs to seek out a long-standing relationship with local farms. “I’ve been involved with Nesenkeag Farms in Litchfield, New Hampshire for 20 years,” he says. “When I got out of cooking school, I worked with Chef Jim Haller at the Blue Strawbery. I wanted to know where food came from—other than the big supply truck that hauled in cases of food along with toilet paper. Jim invited me to visit Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire, and I became hooked on growing local. The Shakers were very self-sufficient; they had an organic garden and grew their own herbs. I worked at the Village for a long time, and when I left, sought out the relationship with Nesenkeag.”

Nesenkeag is one of New Hampshire’s oldest and largest certified organic farms. They are non-profit, and donate much of their produce to food banks in Massachusetts. To keep the farm profitable, farm manager Eero Ruuttila asked Boston chefs what type of produce they wanted, and then began growing accordingly. Over time, word spread, and he now contracts with a number of restaurants in the region. In addition, thanks to his success, Ruuttila has been able to assist other farms, subcontracting with a farm in Hollis, for example, for heirloom apples, honey, and maple syrup.

“Eero grows anything and everything you can imagine,” says Paige. “He has mesclun salad greens, edible flowers such as chive blooms, pea tendrils and nasturtiums, numerous varieties of spinach, lettuce and heirloom tomatoes. I can get pretty much anything I want from May to November. Nesenkeag also has a fair number of Cambodian workers, who have their own garden, so  I can get home-grown Thai basil, lemongrass, tatsoi, baby bok choy, Shanghai baby bok choy, and more. The farm is a chef’s dream.”

For Paige, working with local farms just “feels right,” as he likes working with people he knows. The fact that his business is helping the farms survive is an important benefit.

“It would be easy for farmers to sell their land for golf courses and condos,” he says. “You never get a day off, and you have to constantly battle mother nature. When you become a farmer, you make a huge commitment, and one that requires a lot of stamina. To be a farmer is truly a labor of love.”

“I’m glad to see that the ‘buy local’ movement is definitely catching on,” he continues. “People are more conscientious about where their food comes from, and like buying what they know. That mindset is certainly helping preserve our farms. The farms
I work with say business is getting better.”

For Love of the Land
Timothy Rocha of Kellie Brook Farm in Greenland, New Hampshire has noticed a significant increase in business. Rocha owns 30 acres, with eight acres in different forms of agricultural use. He grew up on a dairy farm in Massachusetts, but left farming for a career in engineering before returning to his roots in 1992 with the purchase of Kellie Brook. He received his first restaurant contracts in 2004, and now regularly works with six to eight eateries.

“Initially, I mostly sold vegetables,” he says. “But now I sell chicken, eggs, and a little beef and veal. Being local is definitely the attraction, both for restaurants and the public, as I see increased interest in farmers’ markets and the like. The restaurant contracts are a huge benefit, and I make sure to offer services that make it easier for them. I deliver, and I make emergency trips if they come up short. Chefs are really busy, so they like that they can call or e-mail their orders, and they know I’ll be there every Thursday with their products. I also offer custom cuts of meat, which they appreciate. For example, some chefs want coarsely ground meat if they’re making sausages. They mix the spices in with the course ground, then regrind on a finer setting. Being able to accommodate their needs, and provide a fresh, healthy product gives us an edge.”

The restaurant connection, along with the addition of a few winter farmers’ markets, has helped Rocha do well even in the winter time. “Before, with our short growing season, we had to make all our money in just a few months. I would have had to take a second job over the winter to survive, but now, I have steady income all year. It makes a huge difference.”

Kellie Brook’s success has allowed Rocha to expand his offerings to include some prepared foods, made with his meats, but prepared by the restaurants he works with. “At the farm, and at farmers’ markets, we sell chicken cacciatore, chicken chili, chicken pot pies, and a Bolognese sauce,” he says. “They’ve been popular so we may offer more food items.”

Rocha thinks the future looks bright for the region’s farms. “The buy local movement is helping tremendously,” he says. “I can sell directly to my customers, and my business is growing each year. It’s definitely keeping me going.”

Ben Hasty, who worked with Executive Chef Rob Evans at Hugo’s in Portland, Maine, is now the Executive Chef at Epoch in Exeter, New Hampshire. He grew up on Breezy Hill Farm in South Berwick, Maine, so he has seen both sides of the picture. “A big part of what we offer at Hugo’s is based on fresh, natural, local food,” he says. “My style of cooking is inspired by the ingredients I work with. I bring eggs, herbs and pork from my family’s farm, but also work with other Maine farms. It’s very important to work with local farms. The fruits and vegetables are fresher, and they are better for you because they haven’t been harvested before they are ripe. Their nutrients are still intact, and they haven’t traveled miles to get here. It’s exactly what a chef wants.”

Hasty also relies on the knowledge of local farmers when preparing his menus. “Ninety-nine percent of good cooking comes from the ingredients, so going with what is fresh right now makes a difference. The farmers know what’s at its peak, so I listen to their recommendations. If ground cherries and potatoes are good now, I’ll go with those, and the result will be fabulous.”

Hasty notes that the farm/restaurant connection helps farms cut out the middle man, allowing them to make more money, and enabling more farms to survive.

“Even beef farmers are selling direct,” he explains. “The farmer still has to pay the slaughter and inspection fee, and those costs are passed on, but he’s eliminated the butcher’s fee, which helps. We’re seeing this in part because restaurants have learned that they can buy a whole pig, veal calf or lamb, and cut it up themselves. Chefs are learning to use the whole animal, which is less wasteful, and they can cut up the meat the way they want it. I’ve taught a number of chefs how to cut up a pig and store the meat. They learn what parts to use for ham, sausage, soups, and more.”

Typically, dairy farms have benefited the least from the buy local/restaurant movement, as milk still has to go to a processing plant. But recently, even dairies have found ways to sell direct, by venturing into production of cheese and other products.

Tom Hasty, Ben’s father, and owner of Breezy Hill along with his wife, Betsy, has had this farm since 1979. A native Mainer, he grew up on a nearby farm which he maintains along with Breezy Hill. The Hasty’s have dairy cows, some beef, pigs, and vegetables. They also sell eggs and butter. Hasty supplies food to half a dozen restaurants regularly, and others on occasion, plus some local markets. He says the connection has definitely increased his business.

“My business has increased every year for the past four years now,” he says. “Winters used to be tough, but things are easier now. I think people as a whole are much more receptive to buying local food. They know they are getting the freshest product they can, and they don’t have to worry about some of the food scares associated with food from out of the country. U.S. food regulations are pretty strict. We used to just ship our products to market, but now we sell direct. We can offer a better price, and everyone eats better.”

Hasty is hopeful that the commitment to buying from local farms will continue, so his land will pass to the next generation. “This farm has survived for 300 years,” he says. “The buy local movement is definitely helping me hang on to my land. I feel like people are going back to being more self-sufficient, like their grandparents were, and I think it’s a good thing.”

The Chef as Farmer
Derek Sarno, chef/owner of Mizuna Cafe in Greenland, New Hampshire is that rare combination of a chef/farmer. A few years back, he personally farmed 1.5 acres, growing everything from blueberries to heirloom tomatoes.

“I wanted to know more about the growing process, about what went into the food I served my customers,” he explains. “The downside to locally-grown produce always seemed to be the cost and I wanted to understand more about what was involved. I learned that in reality, food becomes more cost-effective if it’s grown locally, as the shipping and transportation costs aren’t factored in, and there are huge benefits in terms of quality and healthiness.”

Sarno admits that his foray into growing was extremely hard work, but that it provided valuable lessons. “It’s tough to be both a farmer and a chef as both are extremely demanding time-wise,” he laughs. “But it was gratifying to be involved with food from start to finish, to see something from that earliest seed, through the growth of the plant, then the harvest, and finally turned into a tasty dish.”

Sarno believes that the renewed interest in local farms, both by chefs and the general public, can only be beneficial. “We in the restaurant business need to do all we can to preserve our farmland and support our farmers. Their survival is essential to what we do. I don’t want to see any more farms lost, and I hope we can encourage more folks to not only start farming, but also bring more diverse type of farming and products to the marketplace.”

At Arrows in Ogunquit, Maine, chef/owners Clark Frasier and Mark Gaier grow 90 percent of the produce used at Arrows. They also grow 30 percent of the produce used at Arrows’ sister restaurant, MC Perkin’s Cove, and their third restaurant, Summer Winter in Burlington, Massachusetts, has its own garden and greenhouse.

They raise 46 varieties of lettuce, 15 types of onions, and much more. Frasier and Gaier launched the garden in 1992 because they were frustrated with the lack of specialty vegetable purveyors in the area. In the beginning, just the two of them tended the garden, but it soon grew so large that full-time help was needed, and a restaurant staff member, with an interest in gardening, took over. Today, a professional gardener oversees the effort.

“The garden is an integral part of the restaurant,” says Frasier. “It enhances all of our cooking. Everything we serve was harvested that morning. You not only taste the difference, you see it in the color and vibrancy of the food. And you can’t get more local than stepping out your back door!”

Frasier also likes knowing exactly what was put into the soil that grew his vegetables; the gardens are organic, and only organic sprays are used on the surrounding apple orchards.

“The house that our restaurant is in was built in 1755, when people were very self-sufficient,” he says. “We feel that we are being true to the restaurant’s origins and the heritage of this land by growing our own food.”

The garden has quadrupled in size since it’s earliest days, and now covers nearly an acre. Over the years, Frasier and Gaier have added raised beds, row covers, and a greenhouse. They continuously try new seeds and varieties of vegetables, and are always seeking to increase their production.

“We hope to enhance the efficiency of the garden so we can generate more produce for MC, and perhaps next year, even add a windmill to make the garden truly self-sustaining,” explains Fraiser. “The windmill would pump the garden’s water, and heat the greenhouse in winter. Keeping the garden growing, and being environmentally responsible, is what we’re all about.”

Crystal Ward Kent is Contributing Editor to Taste magazine and has written for Taste since its inception. She is a frequent contributor to numerous regional magazines, including Yankee, Accent, and New Hampshire Home.

Editor’s Note:
Ground cherries are a small yellow fruit not unlike a cherry tomato.